AGC launches program to expand diversity in construction

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) announced May 13 that it is launching a new nationwide program designed to help expand the diversity of the construction industry by making job sites more inclusive. The new program, Culture of CARE (commit, attract, retain and empower), is designed to help firms create more welcoming workplace environments for staff, particularly those from diverse demographic backgrounds. 

“We are asking companies to take bold and visible steps toward creating a more diverse, safe, welcoming and inclusive construction industry,” AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr says. “This new program will help firms attract the kind of diverse staff that research shows help construction firms become more innovative, safe, effective and profitable.”

The Culture of CARE program calls on construction firms to sign a pledge to create more welcoming and inclusive workplace cultures. After firms sign the pledge, the association will work with them to provide training and suggested human resources practices designed to help them put action behind their pledge and establish more inclusive workplaces. There are also broader educational materials available from the Culture of CARE program, including sample HR policies, toolbox talks, job site posters and hardhat stickers.

Sandherr noted that the national Culture of CARE program is based on a program first launched by the association’s AGC of Washington chapter in the Pacific Northwest. The national association’s Diversity & Inclusion Council evaluated the Washington state program and determined that it was a powerful tool to support the industry’s efforts to become more diverse and inclusive.

The association unveiled the Culture of CARE program in March during its annual convention in Las Vegas. In addition to the program, the association has already released its report, Business Case for Diversity & Inclusion in the Construction Industry, which provides the economic, safety and productivity rationale for expanding construction diversity.

“Culture of CARE has the potential to support a broad expansion of the diversity of the construction industry,” Rita Brown, the chair of the association’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, says. “We want to provide the tools firms need to recruit, retain and support people of all backgrounds.”